What connects Sápmi, Surinam and Schwitzerland? How do Christianity and Vodun intersect? Do Karen Blixen and Fidel Castro share common beliefs?

What might seem far removed, share close bonds when we look beyond national and historic divisions. The publication BAT: Bridging Art + Text, just released by Hurricane Publishing, looks into complex historic and current connections across the globe presenting international artists, scholars, curators and writers in 3 volumes of 800+ pages.

In-depth knowledge sharing The first volume shows the connections between art, performance and religion. In the second volume, artists and writers deal with racism as well as the omission of voice and identity. The third volume gathers artists and writers who actively critique history and its influence on present times.

The transfer of cultural and spiritual knowledge from Africa across the Atlantic and further towards Europe show the potential and strength of maintaining a shared cultural heritage. The strength of bridging creates ways of facing racism and prejudice and seeing old and new connections.

The book presents contemporary artists born or based in the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and the US creating an insight into aesthetics not often presented in Scandinavia.

Bridging: We wish to bridge the art works and their historical, political and personal contexts. These narratives not only influence the works but are also transformed through their aesthetics.

+: The extract presents works inspired by spirituality, Jamaican dancehall culture, racial segregation in Cuba and being a woman of black ancestry and parentage living in a Nordic culture.

Text: Fiction, poetry, song lyrics, personal narratives, academic accounts and political discussions. The texts look into historical accounts of slavery, colonialism, racism and the transfer of cultural and spiritual knowledge and resistance across the Atlantic. The politics of blackness are discussed in texts on Negritude and Pan-Africanism, black identity and ethno-aesthetics.

Layout: Built up around the idea of the hidden and revealed foldouts the layout creates an intimate and tactile relation to the visuals. Generous attention and detail is given to the art works, as their stories and production envelops the heart of the book

BAT: Bridging Art + Text is curated by Michelle Eistrup, edited by Eistrup and Annemari Brogaard Clausen, produced by Anders Juhl, and published by Hurricane Publishing.

Supported by Danish Arts Foundation, the Danish Arts Council, and The Karen Blixen Museum.Contributors as they appear in publication

VOLUME 1

Michelle Eistrup

Temi Odumosu

Ery Cámara

Charl Landvreugd

Ebony G. Patterson

Nicholas Laughlin

Bárbaro Martìnez-Ruìz

Kenneth Dossar

Joseph Adandé

Mr. Dohinnon Mahounon Ayenima

Marika Seidler

C. Daniel Dawson

Robert Farris Thompson

VOLUME 2

Pia Arke

Naja Dyrendom Graugaard

Yvette Brackman

Mathias Kryger

Helene Lundbye Petersen

Christopher Cozier

Monique Meloche

Nicholas Laughlin

Patricia Kaersenhout

RuNett Nia Ebo

Ralph Ellison

Gillion Grantsaan

Carlos Moore

VOLUME 3

Sasha Huber

Hans Fässler

Maria Helena P. T. Machado

Jeff Mahuika

Britt Kramvig

Jeannette Ehlers

Kristian Handberg

Patricia Kaersenhout

Mawuna Remarque Koutonin

Noufel Bouzeboudja

Yo-Yo Gonthier

Marie Guéret

Francoise Vergès

Søren Assenholt

Sanne Flyvbjerg

James Muriuki

Syowia Kyambi

Sasha Dees

Anders Juhl

Ato Malinda

Stefan Saffer

Dudley Joseph Thompson

Catherine Lefebvre

The editors wish to thank the artists, writers, curators and poets mentioned above, for their independent and original contribution to the BAT publication, and for their patience in the editing stages of the production. Your contribution is sincerely appreciated and gratefully acknowledged.